Whiskers tickling my nose had me groaning and rolling over in bed. The purring furball promptly claimed the warm spot. With a sigh, I wiggled out from under the tattered furs and got dressed.

As I wandered toward the crystal, my steps slowed. Three patriarchs—including Barrett and Tieber—were leaving that area. Since when did they get up early? Not even the earliest rising hunter or porter was here yet.

As I walked past, I gave them a pleasant nod even though I suspected they'd been stirring up trouble in their attempts to protect the village. They nodded back cordially. The lack of annoyance meant they'd likely bullied Grant into whatever safety measures they had concocted this time.

The anger that started to stir quickly dissipated as I thought about what the patriarchs might have asked and how the Saursunes had zero inclinations of following those plans. I was pretty sure I knew who'd succeed in the end. Some rules were meant to be broken, but sometimes it was much more entertaining to follow them knowing it wouldn't work out as planned. This could be fun.

With a smirk, I leaned into the pitch-black cave that served as Grant's office as I asked, "So, what rules did the patriarchs put in place, and how quickly can I make them regret it while obeying?"

A faint rustle of leather pages was followed by approaching footsteps. I was, once again, impressed that he knew where every single one of his notebooks were in the dark and which ones he was taking out of his bookshelf.

My adoptive father stepped into the early morning light with an amused smile and three notebooks in his arms. "They're slipping. They suggested taking seven volunteers to Storm Blast to chop wood since Saursunes were only spotted there once after the mega storm passed through."

"That's not a challenge," I informed him. Both of us suspected there were trackers in the Saursune axes, especially after how fast they tracked Jayce's group.

"It was a challenge to keep from laughing."

I chuckled, unable to disagree. "I can help port the other twenty-three over to wherever Roxanne or Merryl go."

"They can go with Merryl to Beyond The Marsh. It has a fair bit left, and we haven't seen any predators there yet. Roxanne might ask for a couple from your group, but just in case hyenas or lions show up again, I don't want more people there than she can bounce."

"Again? The Saursunes didn't drive them away?"

With a shrug, he replied, "The hunters said they saw the Saursune occasionally, so I'm guessing it was trying to protect everyone, and they were so scattered that a few predators slipped through the cracks."

"Predators aren't unusual in any African climate. Someone usually gets chased back to the crystal."

He nodded. "True enough. We can ask Merryl or Roxanne if they'll bring back most of whatever the Saursunes give you. Please try to keep the shenanigans to a minimum."

"Me? Shenanigans?" I asked, widening my eyes in false horror of the very accurate accusation.

Grant just snorted.

~

I ported a group to Beyond The Marsh and returned to the village. As the haze cleared, I jumped at the proximity of several people, who sidestepped away as the port landed me in the middle of a group. I gave Janette and her companions an apologetic smile as I wiggled out of the crowd.

Grant waved me over to where he stood with the seven people, all of whom had volunteered to play with axes while Saursunes were around. Four of them—Cruz, Brielle, Clyde, and Tib—were from my regular group, although some, like Liam, were from the croc-hunting brigade.

"Try Storm Blast. Jayce's group didn't get to use the axes for more than a few minutes before the Saursunes showed up, but they said they worked very well." Grant's gaze turned to me. "Your duty is to keep the Saursunes distracted or bounce everyone out if they show any hints of aggression."

I scratched my head. "That...is either going to be really easy or really difficult. It's all going to depend on how the Saursunes react to us using the axes while they're there."

"I know. The Saursunes are trying to get you used to the airship, so let's see if we can get them used to us chopping wood. Having you disappear if they get aggressive should send a clear message. I don't think they'll actually harm a hunter after how many times they've protected them, so it'll be an interesting challenge if nothing else."

His challenges were way harder than anything the patriarchs had ever suggested, but his goals were clearly explained, logical, and something I also wanted.

I gave him a wry grin. "I'll see what I can do."

"After a five-minute rest, of course," he added smoothly.

My grin widened as he caught me yet again. "Of course. That was the first thing in my plans."

The hunters around us smirked, knowing we would have left if Grant hadn't said anything. I sat on a nearby rock and gazed around. My eyes lingered on three old men who were deep in discussion and occasionally glancing this way.

Clyde quietly said, "The Saursunes keep showing up wherever you are, and it has them greatly concerned. They keep trying to think of places where you won't be found by the Saursunes."

I glanced at the hunter whose hair had plenty of grey. "I somehow doubt today is going to ease their concerns."

"Considering Jayce's group bounced a mere half an hour after arriving with the axes, I suspect you're correct."

With a shrug, I stood up. "Well, that's their problem. Let's go collect those axes and give the Saursunes some entertainment."

They followed me to the crystal and gathered around the big cart we were going to pile wood in. Grant paused his reading and watched me port away. The air cleared at the Guard Station, and Tib, Cruz, and Liam ran to fetch the axes and coils of rope.

I stretched a bit, pretending the cart's weight had caused some porting strain. I wished I didn't have to pretend that my limits were closer to normal, but I stood out enough as it was. I didn't want to be famous just because I could port a lot. That could lead to unwelcome attention.

It would be quite a while before another porter reached my current porting ability, especially with how I kept hitting my limits every few days. And I wasn't sure I wanted to know how many ports I could manage after the big ship crystal had stolen so much energy that I could barely manage a solo port.

When the hunters returned, I waved a good-bye to Weylan and murmured, "Storm Blast."

Soon, we appeared amid waist-high saplings with hundreds of huge tree trunks tossed willy-nilly as far as the eye could see. The trees lying flat on the ground were half-rotten, but anything propped up on another trunk or otherwise partially off the grass was dry. Over the years, the branches had been cut off for firewood, leaving the trunks behind.

We were the first group here. The plants around the crystal were trampled flat, and I didn't see any edible greens from where I stood. Liam walked over to a waist-thick tree trunk and swung the axe. With a thunk, it bit deep into the wood.

He yanked it out and regarded the mark. "Was Grant aware of exactly how thick most of these trunks are? In order to lift them into the cart, we'll have to chop them into short pieces, and that's a lot of chopping."

"Probably not, but that's why I wanted the ropes. If we can tie it onto a tree, I can port the entire thing back home."

Clyde bunted his toe against a much smaller tree, only as wide as his thigh. "There aren't as many smaller ones, but there should be enough for today. Something like this we'd only have to cut in half."

Moving to a smaller tree, Liam paused and looked at me. "I'm not sure how fast those Saursunes will show up, but I'd like you here when they arrive, so don't use the rope to port those big trees yet. Let's see how much we can chop before they arrive."

"That's probably a wise plan," I agreed. "Can you leave the big ones closest to the crystal untouched? I might use the rope to bring one back after visiting the cat."

The three hunters wielding Saursune metal focused on smaller trees. While they began chopping the dry wood, I climbed up a pile of logs and sat on top. If the axes had tracking beads hidden inside, it wouldn't be long before we had company.

My vantage point didn't do much except confirm no edible greens were in sight and every movable piece of wood had already been harvested by past groups. Had I not been expecting the Saursunes to show up shortly, I would have been groaning at the prospect of spending half a day here.

I scanned the sky as I nibbled on the handful of salted meat I'd been given for breakfast—a rare luxury only made possible by yesterday's croc hunt. Two dots circling each other in the distance were likely hawks or eagles. Nothing moved among the logs scattered across the hills. I picked bits of bark off the log in boredom as the hunters continued working.

Another dot appeared on the horizon. It grew larger as it angled northward, remaining oddly low to the ground. Soon, it was close enough to make out the brownish color, and it was definitely not a bird.

Our guests had arrived, and it hadn't taken them very long either.